Still Dreaming of Africa
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effect of making moviegoers want to go there themselves, and see the actual
places in Kenya that inspired these movie-induced dreams of Africa. On
Nairobi’s outskirts at the foot of the Ngong Hills, Blixen’s fieldstone house still
stands as the Karen Blixen Museum, resplendent with mahogany paneling,
mosquito netting, and other props left behind by the filmmakers. In nearby Tsavo
West National Park, there’s the luxurious Finch Hatton’s camp that has large,
river-adjacent tents fitted with kilim rugs, Victorian dressing tables, and hot and
cold running water. Tourists can similarly follow the tracks of the characters,
estates, and sights of films such as White Mischief and Gorillas in the Mist?0 And
for those totally gripped by the vistas in I Dreamed o f Africa, guests can stay at
Gallmann’s Mukutan Retreat on the 01 Ari Nyiro ranch. Here is a description
provided by the tour operator Boston Overseas:
Lodging is provided by three traditional dwellings, perched at
the edge of the gorge and patterned after African rondavels.
Each hut offers luxurious accommodations with double beds, a
fireplace and a private veranda overlooking the cliffs. Each is
dressed with Swahili and Lamu furniture and built of local
stone, papyrus and native woods. Kuki’s new luxury tented
camp will be making its debut in 2001. The paradox of the
Retreat is that it remains exquisitely civilized, yet it is the
antithesis of civilization. There is no electricity in the
Mukutan; the obtrusive hum of an electric generator is
forbidden. Power is collected by solar panels, although most
illumination is by candlelight. . . . The bellhops are camels,
carrying luggage to the cottage doors. Mukutan proprietor,
Kuki Gallmann, has painst